Society is in a stage of adolescence, and equality between women and men is a necessary condition for growth, Tahirih Founder and Executive Director Layli Miller-Muro told an audience Oct. 15 at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.

More than 275 guests recently gathered at the Houstonian Hotel to celebrate Tahirih’s impact in Greater Houston. Honorees included Michele “Mitch” Gibbons, an attorney with Jones Day and a dedicated Tahirih volunteer. Gibbons received Tahirih’s 2013 Advocacy Award at the Houston Gala. Photo courtesy of Nicolai McCrary

Do something! That’s what the courageous women activists and leaders urged at the launch of the Women in the World Foundation in Manhattan on Tuesday.

She wisecracks like a sassy college kid and teases her lawyer like an older sister. She delivers speeches without notes and tosses off legal phrases without hesitation.